 It is a member of the Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation (NEF).The foundation's income is derived from the bequest of Bernard Van Leer, a Dutch industrialist and philanthropist who lived from 1883 to 1958, and made his fortune from the packaging company he founded in 1919, Royal Packaging Industries Van Leer.After Bernard Van Leer's death in 1958, the foundation was given a clearer organisation and focus by his son Oscar Van Leer.